Loire Valley Châteaux: Chambord, Chenonceau & Private Lunch

One of the best guided tour we’ve had! Our guide was very knowledgeable and the lunch stop at the chateau was memorable and enjoyable. Highly recommend this tour when you are in Loire Valley area.

The two large chateaus and their grounds were the highlight of our tour on this day. Lunch at the smaller privately owned chateau was kind of minimal, though appreciated, and a wander around that property after lunch was interesting. The tour started off on the wrong foot when we were informed our guide, Elodie, would be a little late. We watched 2 other groups depart as scheduled. Once at the first big chateau, some problems became apparent. Some fellow tour participants wanted our guide to either provide more narration inside the chateaus, similar to what her colleague was doing with another group, or to provide us audio-guides. As time went by it became apparent that audio-guides would be the more useful option. Talking amongst ourselves after lunch it was universally agreed no one in the group could understand Elodie, which was too bad, because when she did speak, she had a lot to say. Over the course of our 1-month visit in France there were other tour guides with strong accents we had to work to understand, but this was the one time we just gave up. Had we been with the other group with the other guide, we'd likely be telling a completely different story.

Chloe was such a pleasure to spend the day with. Her knowledge of history and obvious love of the castles we visited was obvious in her presentation. We would love to come back to the area and will insist on the tours with Chloe. Lunch was so lovely at the Chateau as well. Highly recommend this tour.

So much better to tour with others. Viator handles everything. Our guide was special and full of information. Cannot complement Viator enough for a wonderful day.

Camille was such a sweetheart! She drove us in a Mercedes minivan on this small group tour to the two most famous chateaux in the region. We learned so much from her at each stop, but it didn’t feel like a boring history class. Our stop for lunch was absolutely charming and quite a lovely meal homemade by the Countess of Chateau Villesavin! This is a long, all day tour with a bit of car time, but the countryside landscape and picturesque scenery makes the time go by easily. I definitely recommend this tour if you’re visiting the Loire Valley and just want to see the highlights. Request Camille!

Wonderful trip, Dimitri is a very good guide , amazing castles, food is excellent in private chateau !!! Van is very good in a small group.

Our tour experience was very enjoyable overall. The guide was kind, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about sharing the history and culture of the region. She did an excellent job keeping the group on schedule and was also a very safe and considerate driver, which made the day feel well-organized and relaxed. While I appreciated the detailed commentary and insights, I personally would have preferred to spend a bit more time exploring the châteaux and their beautiful gardens rather than focusing on some of the smaller details. Still, it was a memorable and well-run tour that offered a great introduction to the area.

Long day. Didn’t love Chateau Chambord (a bit tacky compared to other chateaus) but had a wonderful trip.

Dimitri is an excellent guide. On time, understandable, great grasp of history, and fine sense of humor. We learned many things about the times, the culture and beliefs. Excellent lunch in a traditional setting. Wonderful day!

Very enjoyable and educational. Dmitri was a fantastic guide who was great with insights, knowledge and humor. We highly recommend this!